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1. The Inequality of Social Class
There are two sides that create the inequality of social status ’s oppression
experienced by Edna. The first is from her husband, while the second is from the high class of Creole Society, yet her husband takes a larger portion than the
society. The researcher portrays two characters in this part. The first character is Leonce Pontellier who is Edna’s husband characterized as an upper class man of
Creole society. He is a successful person in his forty who runs several businesses of his own. Furthermore, he makes a good living and a popular figure in a society.
He is described as a business oriented man because he adopts the upper class’ life
and he takes his wife’s needs such as his time, love, and affection for granted. The
second character is Edna Pontellier, the major character in this novel who is different from her husba
nd and all her husband’s friends because she is a Presbyterian, an ordinary woman from Kentucky rather than an upper class of
Creole Society, which means they belong to different social class. This novel tells about a young woman who married to a middle-age, high class Creole Society
man. She is exploited by her husband for the sake of his businesses. His reaction bases entirely on
how Edna’s attitude will affect his business’s prospects. His goals are strictly financial and superficial; he wants to keep up with the
procession which portrays an upper-class ’s life.
a. Oppression From Leonce Pontellier
In this part, the researcher discusses Edna Pontelier’s social class
oppressions done by her husband, Leonce Pontellier. He is always busy to run his own businesses without really giving such attention towards his small family
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particularly his wife’s needs. Leonce feels that he can buy favor with some money and replace kindness, happiness, time or attention to his wife with elaborate gifts
that portray the upper class’s way of treating.
In order to see the social class gap between Leonce and Edna, the researcher conducts quotations from the novel to show that Edna is an ordinary
woman which differentiates her with her husband’s class.
Mrs. Pontellier talked about her fathers Mississippi plantation and her girlhood home in the old Kentucky bluegrass country. She was an
American woman, with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution. She read a letter from her sister, who was away in the
East, and who had engaged herself to be married. Robert was interested, and wanted to know what manner of girls the sisters were, what the father
was like, and how long the mother had been dead Chopin, 1899:9.
The quotation above leads to the assumption about Edna’s past life. She
tells one of her friend, Robert, who comes from the same class with her about her childhood life. She is only an ordinary woman comes from an old bluegrass
Kentucky which is different from Leonce’s social class. Related to her past life, Mrs. Pontellier is used to have a small life within herself in an old Kentucky
bluegrass country before she married to Leonce Potellier. For now, the memories go miles away and she less enjoys her life after married to Leonce.
The researcher finds such oppressions that her husband does to her. As someone who lives the upper class
’s life Leonce is identical with busy businessman, money oriented, full of demand, and endless meeting with his
business ’ partner. He tends to maintain a good relation with his clients because the
financial matter comes first for the upper class people. Leonce also has the authority not to stay at home yet to stay outside, he gets himself busy with his
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business ’ clients rather than dines for a while at home with his family. He does
not want to join the fun activities with his wife or Robert, but he prefers to spend his time meeting with client and playing billiards at the hotel. It is seen in the
description. Coming back to dinner? his wife called after him. He halted a moment
and shrugged his shoulders. He felt in his vest pocket; there was a ten- dollar bill there. He did not know; perhaps he would return for the early
dinner and perhaps he would not. It all depended upon the company which he found over at Kleins and the size of the game. He did not say this, but
she understood it, and laughed, nodding good-by to him. Chopin, 1899:7. From the above notion, the researcher wants to describe that her husband
goes to Klien’s hotel for business matter and he leaves his little family dines without him. He chooses to spend his dinner with his client at hotel because the
financial is superficial for him. From Edna’s statement above, it states that Leonce often leaves the dinner with family which means that her husband pays a little
attention towards his family and puts money as his main focus. Edna who is used to know that her husband will not come back for dinner tries to understand his
husband’s attitude bitterly. The implied meaning lies within Edna’s sentence “Coming back to dinner?” shows that hopefully her husband will come home to
dinner together with them. The following morning Mr. Pontellier was up in good time to take the
rockaway which was to convey him to the steamer at the wharf. He was returning to the city to his business, and they would not see him again at
the Island till the coming Saturday. He had regained his composure, which seemed to have been somewhat impaired the night before. He was eager to
be gone, as he looked forward to a lively week in Carondelet Street Chopin. 1899:11.
Leonce’s bustle to run his business continues to happen when he decides to go downtown for the sake of business. He is fine when he leaves his family for
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almost one week. He does not pay much attention either his wife or children need him. Anything that relates to business comes first to him. Although the
consequence of his business leaves his family, he still wants to be there as soon as possible. He spends a little quality time with Edna as well as his children.
Moreover, when he leaves home for the sake of work, it can relief his heart ’s
anxiety for a while rather than stays at home for a long time. Besides, it shows that Leonce treats Edna just like another possession he
has at home. He does not treat her like a wife or a love partner. It is depicted through Mr.Pontellier
’s personal opinion. What folly to bathe at such an hour in such heat exclaimed Mr.
Pontellier. He himself had taken a plunge at daylight. That was why the morning seemed long to him. You are burnt beyond recognition, he
added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage Chopin, 1899:7.
From the description above, as a person who sticks in the world of business, Mr. Pontellier not only fails to appreciate the beach that brings his wife
happiness, but also treats his wife as a possession. For his lifestyle, to bathe in such heat probably can burn his skin and he does not like to do that. On the other
hand, Edna’s way of life is different from her husband. She likes to do activities, it makes her happy but, Leonce does not know and care of what makes Edna happy.
He does not think of his wife as a lover that needs his attention and time, in addition he does not want to
participate in Edna’s world because they have a different world.
As a man who comes from the upper class, the form of affection that Leonce provides and gives for his wife is some money to please her.
”Mr. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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Pontellier gave his wife half of the money which he had brought away from Kleins hotel the evening before. She likes money as well as most of the women,
and accepts it with no little satisfaction ” Chopin. 1899:11.
The above quotation shows that that some money as the tool used by Leonce to please Edna rather than his time and affection. For Edna, money is a
terrible substitute of time, attention and affection given to her little family. Although she accepts money from her husband, she does not feel happy and
satisfied because all she needs are his husband’s time, attention to take care of her,
and affection to please her. A few days later a box arrived for Mrs. Pontellier from New Orleans. It
was from her husband. It was filled with friandises, with luscious and toothsome bits--the finest of fruits, pates, a rare bottle or two, delicious
syrups, and bonbons in abundance. Mrs. Pontellier was always very generous with the contents of such a box; she was quite used to receiving
them when away from home. The pates and fruit were brought to the dining-room; the bonbons were passed around. And the ladies, selecting
with dainty and discriminating fingers and a little greedily, all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world. Mrs. Pontellier was
forced to admit that she knew of none better Chopin, 1899:11-12.
When Leonce is away from home for business, he always sends a box for Edna. The way he pleases his wife is just the same by giving a gift as a substitute
of his love, time and affection. When he sends his family an enormous boxes of expensive treats, all of the ladies declare that he is the best husband in the world,
yet for Edna he is nowhere close to be called as a good husband. In the following quote, Edna experiences such oppressions and she waits
for her husband comes home to sooth her. When Leonce does come home and see Edna is waiting for him outside the house, he offers her a glass of wine instead of
soothing her with his affection and love which are the things she badly needs than PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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a glass of wine which she does not wish to have. Since her husband holds an upper class life, he demands his wife to follow his lifestyle by offering her a glass
of wine in a way of relaxing and solving her problem, she refuses to have a glass of wine. The proof is described as below.
Mr. Pontellier had prepared for bed, but he slipped on an extra garment. He opened a bottle of wine, of which he kept a small and select supply in a
buffet of his own. He drank a glass of the wine and went out on the gallery and offered a glass to his wife. She did not wish any. He drew up the
rocker, hoisted his slippered feet on the rail, and proceeded to smoke a cigar. He smoked two cigars; then he went inside and drank another glass
of wine. Mrs. Pontellier again declined to accept a glass when it was offered to her. Mr. Pontellier once more seated himself with elevated feet,
and after a reasonable interval of time smoked some more cigars Chopin, 1899: 36.
Indeed, the oppression experienced by Edna grows bigger that she decides to abandon her husband
’s home and move into a small house where she feels comfortable and suit her lifestyle she is used to have before married to Leonce
Pontellier. A big and luxurious house of Leonce is not a warm and cozy home for her t
o stay: “Without even waiting for an answer from her husband regarding his opinion or wishes in the matter, Edna hastened her preparations for quitting her
home on Esplanade Street and moving into the little house around the block” Chopin, 1899:89.
As soon as his husband learns that his wife abandons a home and the children, he writes a letter for Edna to reconsider her decision to leave the house.
When Mr. Pontellier learned of his wifes intention to abandon her home and take up her residence elsewhere, he immediately wrote her a letter of
unqualified disapproval and remonstrance. She had given reasons which he was unwilling to acknowledge as adequate. He hoped she had not acted
upon her rash impulse; and he begged her to consider first, foremost, and above all else, what people would say. He was not dreaming of scandal
when he uttered this warning; that was a thing which would never have PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
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entered into his mind to consider in connection with his wifes name or his own. He was simply thinking of his financial integrity. It might get noised
about that the Pontelliers had met with reverses, and were forced to conduct their menage on a humbler scale than heretofore. It might do
incalculable mischief to his business prospects Chopin, 1899:98.
In The Awakening, Leonce Pontellier is depicted as a business oriented. Even when his wife abandons home, he asks his wife to reconsider her decision in
order to avoid what people are going to say if they acknowledge their household ’s
problem and to avoid the incalculable business prospect he has run, so the business cooperation between Leonce and his partner will be fine. Leonce’s image
in the society will also be saved. He does not truly ask Edna to consider because he really wants Edna in his house, yet other things like business prospect,
financial matter, and good names come first for him to concern. He never thinks the reason why his wife leaves his home. His husband exploits Edna as the object
to work for his own benefits.
b. The Oppression from Creole Society
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